Aquinas College

15 minutes

152

Tutorials

$14,478 2018 fees

It’s testament to the unique community spirit that exists here at Aquinas that we clocked up 400 hours of volunteer work before the first semester had officially begun – with the students coming together to help out the community and forge new friendships.

You'll connect with your fellow residents the moment you step in the door – joining our inclusive, diverse college whānau. We offer a full social, cultural and sports calendar to ensure you enjoy a balanced lifestyle, combining study, community and fun as you make your transition from teenage life to independence.

Featuring a spacious, newly-renovated environment with stunning views over the city, a gym, indoor sports court, outdoor space and personalised academic support from dedicated staff, Aquinas is located just a 15-minute walk from campus, or you can use our free shuttle service.

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Arana College

Open the front door to Arana College and step inside a collegial incubator where your success is measured not only in academic achievement but also by your engagement with your community.

Our diverse learning environment allows you to thrive. Support your team while navigating the bush together, volunteer for a local community group, and share new ideas with fellow residents while experiencing university life.

Our humble beginnings – established in 1943 to house returning soldiers – have created an unpretentious college that holds true to its core values of care, togetherness and strength. Sure, sometimes we dress up and have fancy dinners, but we remain thoroughly relevant to today’s world. Help ‘wield the paddles together’ and be part of a new generation of leaders, thinkers and citizens who will help shape our future.

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Carrington College

6 minutes

243

Tutorials

$14,478 2018 fees

Escape the stress of a busy university campus and seek refuge in a tranquil college environment designed to meet your learning and social needs.

Within our historic site, you’ll find buildings steeped in tradition, while fully equipped with technology, tutorial rooms, music rooms (with pianos) and social spaces where you can hang out with friends. Our character villas allow you to experience a taste of shared living with the benefits of college life, or step outside and take a break from your study and listen to birds singing from the trees that surround our college.

From around the world our students come with a common goal – to achieve excellence in education while engaging with the world we live in through the core values of respect, trust and a strong sense of collegiality.

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Caroline Freeman College

5 minutes

210

Tutorials

$14,478 2018 fees

Inside Caroline Freeman College’s unique apartment living, you’ll experience a world of diversity. With students studying a range of courses – from health sciences to psychology and business – Caroline Freeman College allows students to thrive.

Artworks from alumni cover the walls of our custom-built modern learning environment, which also includes the Attic common room, tutorial rooms, a library and modular study spaces. As the inaugural winner of the Inter-college Cultural Competition, we take great pride in all of our students’ talents.

Shared living offers you a perfect stepping-stone into your first year away from home with all the benefits of college life – from meals to structured academic support. Learn, network and engage with others during an immensely fun and memorable first year of tertiary education.

Caroline Freeman College is suitable for school-leavers and mature students.

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Cumberland College

4 minutes

327

Tutorials

$14,478 2018 fees

Open your mind to new ideas and join a vibrant academically-focused college community where you will learn, discover and grow as a student and individual. Our motto – ‘Fortune favours the bold’ – embodies the culture and spirit of Cumberland, where we hope you’ll challenge yourself to think differently, get involved and ‘have a go’.

Cumberland is your home away from home – with a unique, friendly character that you feel the moment you walk through the door.

We offer a variety of learning and social facilities, including live-in student Residential Assistants to help you settle in, a comprehensive academic support system, study spaces, an extensive sports and cultural programme, a wide range of volunteering opportunities, and the only college fully-lit astro-turf sports court.

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Hayward College

3 minutes

162

Tutorials

$14,478 2018 fees

No matter where you come from, what you study or what you’re into; when you step into Hayward College you become a lifetime member of our family. Hayward is a nurturing place that embraces difference and celebrates individuality so that new students can grow and thrive.

We support and encourage academic achievement, and our priority is ensuring a balance of serious study and good times. Through our community, social and sporting events – from colour wars to speed meet-and-greets, ‘Hayward Night Live’, themed dinners and volunteer work – you’ll feel part of something special, and form lasting friendships.

We’re proud of our motto – ‘community and integrity’ – and now offer an annual prize for each of the top two students who best demonstrate these Hayward attributes.

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Knox College

12 minutes

262

Tutorials

$14,744 2018 fees

One of the country’s oldest colleges, Knox stands as an exemplar of collegial life. Whether it’s dining in the Great Hall, performing in the Concert on the Stairwell, enjoying the Garden Party, attending the Larnach Castle Ball, or competing against Selwyn College for the Cameron Shield and Nevill Cup, everything we do has a sense of occasion and is an expression of our strong communal life.

But this is not a stuffy affair. We bring our heritage into the twenty-first century, making it relevant for contemporary ‘Knoxies’, and ensuring we meet all your educational and social needs.

Our impressive facilities include a full library, chapel with college choir, tutorial rooms, music rooms with four pianos, a shared tennis court, gym, common room and a variety of accommodation options.

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St Margaret’s College

0 minutes

224

Tutorials

$16,164 2018 fees

With roses growing at the entranceway and colourful vines hanging over the exquisite brickwork, you’d be forgiven for mistaking St Margaret’s for a grand stately home, rather than a residential college.

But alongside the beauty of the place – located right on campus – are the excellent facilities on offer to all its college members and alumni. From our games, music and common rooms, to seminar facilities and tutorial rooms, we have everything you need to thrive academically and socially, whether you’re a first-year or returning student.

Our regular formal dinners include guests from the greater community who offer an insight into what it takes to succeed throughout your career, while our three core values – consideration for others, common sense and courtesy – offer guidance towards achieving your goals.

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Salmond College

12 minutes

260

Tutorials

$14,592 2018 fees

Ask any Salmond College resident what makes their college special and they’ll tell you it’s because it’s ‘home’. Friendly, welcoming and accepting of students from all walks of life, you will become part of our whānau the moment you step inside, living in a space where your individuality is celebrated – and you can be yourself.

Custom-built as a residential college in the 1970s and set in extensive grounds outside the busy campus, we offer fabulous facilities, including tutorial rooms, music rooms, library, on-site chapel, gym, tennis court, car parking and outdoor areas for volleyball, cricket and other sports.

Enjoy the easy walk to campus through Dunedin’s stunning Botanic Garden with your friends, knowing your college retreat is just a short walk home. Or if you have an early class or are studying late, we offer a shuttle service.

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Selwyn College

0 minutes

188

Tutorials

$16,493 2018 fees

There’s something special about being the oldest. And in a city known for its many firsts – the first university, medical and dental school – we take pride in being the country’s first university college.

We honour our rich heritage and traditions at Selwyn – we dress formally for dinner, remain connected with our alumni, our Selwyn Ballet is the oldest amateur all-male ballet troupe in the world, and we continue to take on Knox College every year in sporting and cultural competitions.

But make no mistake – we offer everything you need as a twenty-first century student. Our heritage buildings and grounds, located on campus, house exceptional learning and social facilities, including a full library and study centre, music room and common rooms. We also have a tennis court and the only college squash court.

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Studholme College

3 minutes

187

Tutorials

$14,478 2018 fees

For more than 100 years we’ve created a home for our students – a place where you'll feel supported as you transition into adulthood and tertiary learning.

We offer a variety of accommodation options. The original homestead is attached to our main building with several beautifully maintained bungalows, cottages and houses on-site, and our stunning grounds offer an awesome location for a friendly game of volleyball, basketball or cricket – or a place to share a meal with friends.

We understand what it takes for you to succeed. Our motto – 'Scientia Et Amor Illuminant Domum' ('knowledge and love enlightens the home') – is at the heart of our philosophy. With the right people around you – friendly staff and fellow residents – you'll be able to "give it your best shot" and achieve your goals.

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Te Rangi Hiroa College

5 minutes

125

Tutorials

$15,466 2018 fees

Named after the University of Otago’s first Māori graduate, Te Rangi Hiroa (Sir Peter Buck), we aim to hold true to the values, respect and mana that comes with this extraordinary individual. Each floor is named after one of the rivers in Urenui, Taranaki, where Te Rangi Hiroa lived – so his life force flows through our building inspiring you to reach your full potential – academically, physically and emotionally.

We are located centrally between campus and the city centre and, as the newest of the residential colleges, we offer large modern rooms, complete with en-suite bathrooms, alongside fantastic facilities including a movie theatre, multipurpose games area, common room, study centre and courtyard balcony.

Achieve your goals in our friendly, supportive environment where we’ll help you to achieve balance between work and play.

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Toroa College

3 minutes

152

Tutorials

$14,478 2018 fees

You’ve made it home – the place where you can kick off your shoes, rest and revive before you take flight, like the mighty Toroa.

We are best described as a place of belonging – a close knit collegial community where you’ll feel part of the whānau straight away. Featuring modern suite-style apartment living, Toroa College is your peaceful retreat – located just a short walk from campus where you’ll wake to birdsong, share a game of giant chess or Connect Four with friends on the rooftop terrace, or hang in the multipurpose common room downstairs.

Grow and thrive in your new nesting ground where you’ll be supported to achieve all your goals – academically, socially and physically – while also contributing to your community through our active volunteer programme.

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University College

0 minutes

507

Tutorials

$14,478 2018 fees

Multicultural, multiethnic and home to more than 500 students, University College is your big, bold and vibrant home, where we’ll help you achieve your academic goals while experiencing all that university life offers.

We are the complete package – combining a perfect location (situated right on campus), great facilities (including gym, multiple common rooms, seminar rooms, library and courtyards), a supportive academic environment (a mentor for each student and close engagement with academic faculties) and a high-energy vibe.

We stand for academic endeavour, community engagement and personal development. At UniCol you’ll thrive, enjoying a wide range of activities – from themed dinners to 48-hour film clubs, sports comps to cultural challenges or hanging with friends toasting marshmallows on our open fire.

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Abbey College: Postgraduate

5 minutes

75

Tutorials

varies

Abbey College, New Zealand’s only residential college specifically for postgraduate students, has become a resource and social hub for the wider postgraduate community. A former hotel complex, it is located within a few minutes’ walk of all University facilities, the Dunedin Botanic Garden and the central city. The college comprises 75 rooms, many with ensuite bathrooms. There are also options for couples and students with disabilities.

The complex is spacious, safe and secure, with its operation overseen by an on-site Head of College. The college has its own dining room with full catering to residents. There are large common rooms and a reading room, a pleasant garden (Abbey Common), a spa pool and sauna. Car parking is also available.

Abbey College provides an academic community environment unrivalled in New Zealand.

Information for students on the waitlist

The Residential Colleges are very popular and from the 6 October, the Student Accommodation Centre manages a general waitlist for students that have applied for accommodation and have not received an offer of accommodation. Please refer to FAQs about the general waitlist.

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Disclaimer

The University of Otago and its affiliate organisations recognise these fifteen official residential colleges. Any other providers beyond this list are not associated with the University of Otago and, therefore, not University-sanctioned residential colleges.

Prospective students and families are invited to contact the Colleges directly to arrange a tour.